De’Anthony Melton’s fit
A primary deciding factor in people’s opinion on this trade is how they view Melton. If not high on him or even unsure of who Melton is, it looks like Phoenix gave away a young player and starting guard for Ryan Anderson on a very unappealing contract, plus some second rounder.
But when looking closer at De’Anthony Melton, it becomes easy viewing this trade as a major positive. Yes, he was a late second round pick, and the team viewed Okobo more highly when picking first in the second round, but Melton is the potential prospect that could be perfect next to Booker.
His biggest concern during the pre-draft process was by far shooting. Through high school and college, Melton displayed a far from pretty jump shot that was not effective. In Summer League, that shot looked exponentially better, especially on the move which is a great sign.
After the draft, he was looked at as one of the biggest steals. Some draft analysts even had a mid-to-early first round grade on Melton. So where is this value coming from?
To say the potential of being a top perimeter defender in the NBA is there may seem like a stretch, but De’Anthony Melton is just that talented. He already is a polished defender with elite instincts that has produced at every level.
Averaging almost 2 steals and over a block a game in college, he did not disappoint in the Summer League, with 3 steals and .8 blocks, per RealGM. Having him next to Booker opens up multiple doors on defense, with Jackson or Bridges at the 3.
Melton could guard the top backcourt player and have Booker take the other, or slide Jackson to the other guard and let Booker take a forward. This would be optimal for a team like the Blazers, letting Jackson and Melton guard CJ McCollum and Damian Lillard while Booker saves himself for offense.
While Melton definitely has the potential to become a starting caliber point guard, he still has work to do. A very physical and aggressive player, he is a great rebounder for his size and has the quickness to keep the opposing team on their toes. However his passing must improve, as RealGM shows he averaged 4 and 3.5 assists per game in Summer League and at USC, respectively.
Most importantly is the shooting progression. While he showed major leaps with both his shooting form and numbers, Melton is still mostly inefficient and must work on threatening the defense with a reliable shot. It is not out of the question for Melton to become a decent spot-up shooter soon, and showed confidence in Summer League taking pull-ups and attacking the basket.
Melton’s progression will be key in this trade for the Phoenix Suns. Knight may come back healthy and Chriss could develop into a decent player, but the latter would have not been given the opportunity in Phoenix blossom while the former provided little long-term value. With the roster still with a few question marks, don’t be surprised to see any more transactions between now and the season opener.